Not At All
by karie2055
Summary: He was attracted to her. It was an obvious fact made by Gemini that he never denied it, not that anyone asked that is. His eyes always followed her, not that he made it obvious; and if anyone saw, they didn't say. But truth of the matter was, Gray never had anything to deny.


**My one-shot for WolfieANNE's one-shot contest, enjoy ^-^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters**

**P.S. this is my first time writing a Fairy Tail fic in general o.o so please be kind :)**

* * *

He was attracted to her. It was an obvious fact made by Gemini that he never denied it, not that anyone asked that is. His eyes always followed her, not that he made it obvious; and if anyone saw, they didn't say.

She was his complete opposite in every way. Her eyes sparkled with cheer and happiness; while his expressed sorrow and grief. Her blond hair reflected the sun's light while his dark blue hair embraced the moon's beam in the night. They were too opposite for anyone to think they would attract one another, and they were right, but Gray was never there to contradict them.

Mira would catch him occasionally, but he would always brush it off; she, of course, knew better. Whenever she saw Gray stare longingly at Lucy, she would call her over to discuss a "mission" that was perfect for her. Gray, not being as slow as everyone thought he was, always silently thanked Mira; and would jump into the conversation to help Lucy in the mission.

* * *

"_Lucy!" called Mira._

"_Hai, Mira-san!" said Lucy as she neared the bar._

"_I've found the perfect mission for you!" the barmaid replied with a wink._

"_Really?"_

"_Yep, all you have to do is catch band of thieves! Simple, right?" she said smiling._

"_Eh?! B-but I can't do that! What if I end up getting kidnapped by them?!"_

"_In that case why don't you have Gray help you?" the Take-Over Mage suggested._

_The blonde looked to her right where the Ice Mage was sitting near the other end of the bar, shirtless, playing with the bit of ice left in his drink._

"_I don't know, I don't want to bother him. I mean he already helps me enough at it is…" she replied._

"_Oh come one, Lucy! I'm sure he doesn't mind helping you," the barmaid said with eyes that twinkled with mischief._

"_But Gray–"_

"_Yes?" said a deep voice behind Lucy._

"_Gray!" she exclaimed._

"_What's up, Luce?" he asked innocently._

"_Oh! Um, n-nothing," she said shaking her head and hands._

"_Actually, Lucy needs some help with a mission," interrupted Mira, "Would you mind helping her with it, Gray?"_

"_M-Mira-san! I don't think Gray would be able to. I mean you must be really busy, ne, Gray?"_

"_Actually, I don't have much to do. I don't mind helping you, Lucy. Just say the word and I'll be there for you."_

"_But–"_

"_Besides you need the money for your rent, ne, Lucy?" intervened Mira once more._

_Lost for words, Lucy just smiled and nodded before agreeing to meet Gray at the station early for their mission. Once the two left the bar, Mira noticed a paper napkin where Gray's glass stood; she picked it up and read:_

'_Thanks, Mira._

_-Gray'_

_Mira smiled to herself as she looked at her two nakamas talking to the rest of Team Natsu._

"_What do you have there, Mira?" asked a green-haired man that sat recently at the bar before her._

"_Oh, nothing much," she replied to the Runes Mage._

"_It must be pretty special since it has amplified your beauty," said Freed as he stared at her longingly._

"_You're not jealous are you, Freed?" she teased lightly._

"_And if I am?" he replied as a small smile graced his handsome face._

_Mira blushed slightly. "Well, there's nothing for you to worry about."_

"_Then what's in the napkin?"_

"_It's a secret," she replied while winking at him before going to serve some drinks to Team Natsu._

* * *

His scars had increased ever since he joined Team Natsu; it was inevitable that they did because every time it looked as if Lucy was defenseless, he would rush to protect her; even when Natsu was nearby. Then again, he would only look at them as proof that he was getting stronger with each new mission they took on. Never would he say that they were proof that he was strong enough to protect Lucy from a powerful attack; nope, not all at all.

* * *

_Lucy had just finished showering when she entered her room to continue writing her manuscript with a new bright idea while in the shower. Upon entering, the first thing she noticed was a bare chest and her manuscript in the hand of the bare-chested man._

"_My manuscript!" she yelled on impulse as she grabbed her precious writing from the cold hand holding it._

"_Hey, I was getting to the good part," he said._

"_And you! What are you doing in other people's homes half-naked!"_

"_I'm not – whoa, when did that happen?!"_

"_Geez, Gray, at least keep your shirt on," she replied as she looked through her drawers to find one of the shirt's he had left before and giving it to him._

"_Thanks, Luce," replied the Ice Mage as he put it on, "hey, at least I'm not the one sporting nothing but a towel," he smirked at her._

_Instinctively, the Celestial Mage hugged the towel closer to her body and blushed a bright red, before pushing him towards the door, "Out!"_

"_Ouch! Easy there, Luce, I think I'm still sore there," winced the brunette._

_Lucy stopped pushing Gray towards the door when she felt him flinch against her soft, delicate hands; instead, she grabbed his hand and led him to the couch in her room._

"_Lucy?" he asked puzzled by her change of attitude._

"_Wait here," she said as she went back to her bathroom for a moment._

_Gray did as he was told and waited for the blonde to return. He looked around rather confused and noticed the different furniture that surrounded the bubbly Celestial Mage's room. It fit her personality just fine; delicate, soft, and girly but refined with dignity, grace, and individuality. In his seat, Gray saw a picture of her mother in her desk and couldn't help but marvel how Lucy was basically an exact duplicate of her._

_The door to the bathroom opened and Lucy entered the room in her pajamas with a first aid kit in her hands._

"_Did you get hurt, Luce?" he asked slightly worried._

"_Baka," she replied as she sat down next to him on the sofa,"Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself? You have bruises all over you, Gray!"_

"_Pfft, I do not," he told her, but when Lucy lightly tapped his back he exclaimed, "Ow!"_

"_I told you so!"_

"_Okay, fine. So I may have a couple of bruises here and there, it's no big deal," he grumbled._

"_Yes, it is!" she said as she took out some gauze along with some heat and cold pads, "Geez, Gray, if you want to become an S-Class Mage, then at least take care of yourself," Lucy pouted._

"_Why would I do that, when I have you to take care of me?" he replied cheekily._

_Lucy blushed lightly but continued, "b-because…"_

"_Because?"_

"_I…I might be in a mission with Natsu the next time!" she thought quickly before hitting herself mentally._

_Gray's grin faltered for a second before turning around to let her take care of his bruises. Her delicate hands massaged his shoulders as he relaxed at her touch until she stopped to bandage some of his new scars. She stopped when she spotted a stinging red mark on his back; she traced the mark lightly with her fingertips._

"_Luce?"_

"_This is from the blade that was slashed towards me, wasn't it?"_

_Silence for a minute, "Yeah…"_

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Luce–"_

"_If only I was stronger like Erza, then you wouldn't have to get hurt because of me…"_

_Gray turned to face her; her eyes were downcast, but he could tell she was on the brink of tears. Not knowing what to do, he followed his instincts, hugged her to his chest and patted her head softly, while at the same time enjoying the fragrance of her shampoo._

"_Gray?"_

"_You're fine just the way you are, Lucy."_

"_But–"_

"_No buts," he said firmly putting her at arm's length, "You're __**Lucy**__ not Erza, if you were like Erza then I wouldn't be able to crash into your home," he smirked._

_Lucy hit him lightly on his chest and smiled, "Then maybe I should roommate with Erza then."_

_Gray looked scared for a minute, but smiled after, "you and I both know you wouldn't be able to survive that."_

_Lucy opened her mouth to contradict him, but realized he was right. Erza had a habit of hugging her pillow or anything that gave of warmth and was soft really, aside from that, her hugs were to die from, literally._

"_Okay, so maybe Erza isn't my light of hope," she sweat-dropped._

"_Besides, you like it when I come over unannounced," he winked at her._

_She rolled her eyes, "sure, I do. It's not like you coming to my house half-naked is weird anymore."_

"_Exactly!"_

_Lucy giggled before telling him to turn around and continue bandaging him._

* * *

On Christmas, he made her a cute charm bracelet with his Ice-Make, but it didn't mean anything. So he didn't get really happy when he saw the look of her face, oh no, not at all; and when she hugged him, he didn't embrace her back tightly to let her know he was glad she liked her present.

* * *

_Gray had spotted Lucy in the middle of the gift exchange mayhem. She had gotten various presents: Erza had given her a coupon special to her favorite cake shop, Levy had gotten her a romance book series, Natsu and Happy had given her money for her rent, Lisanna and Mira had gotten her new winter outfit, and Wendy had given her a cute pair of earrings with Charle._

_As for the rest, they were still wrapped in their seasonal wrappings when Gray reached her._

"_Hey, Lucy!"_

"_Gray!" she said after putting down one of her gifts, "Merry Christmas!" she greeted as she handed him his present._

"_Merry Christmas to you, too," he replied as he gave her a small wrapped box._

_Gray opened his gift to find a new white coat. He smiled because the last one he had had been ruined in one of their missions, and Lucy wouldn't let go of the fact that it had been her fault. No matter how many times he had tried to tell her otherwise, she wouldn't listen to reason. Gray looked up from his gift to thank Lucy, but when he saw her, he saw tears streaming her face._

"_Lucy?"_

"_It's beautiful, Gray," she said as held an ice-cold charm bracelet with a single snowflake charm in her hand._

"_It's nothing," he said nonchalantly, "now you have a piece of me with you wherever you go."_

"_Thank you," she said as she rushed towards him and hugged him._

_Blushing a little, Gray embraced the petite blonde tightly, "I'm glad you like it, I wasn't sure what to get you."_

_Lucy shook her head against his chest, "No, I love it, honestly," she said, her voice muffled by the Ice Mage's strong chest._

"_Hear, let me put it on for you," he said as they let go of each other. He picked up the delicate piece of art from her hands and clasped it around her wrist._

"_It really is a wondrous piece of work, Gray," she said admiring it on her slender wrist._

"_Thanks, now for each Christmas, I'll give you a new charm for you to add to it."_

_The smile Lucy had given him then and there had been the best Christmas gift he could have received from anyone._

* * *

Whenever he was in doubt of himself or when he felt ready to give up against an opponent, he would always recall her smile from that Christmas to remind himself that there was someone waiting for him after.

As the months passed, February arrived and so did Valentine's Day. The day of romance and friendship wasn't his favorite holiday out there. He couldn't stand the pink, frilly decorations at stores or the couples walking around that used this excuse to show their public display of affection everywhere they went. However, that Valentine's he didn't mind it as much as the others, considering a certain Celestial Mage was there with him, although, people that day thought that they were just another couple, Gray never corrected them, not at all.

* * *

_He was walking around the city of Magnolia, gagging at the immense display of affection from couples around him, when he spotted the familiar head of a white-haired maiden. Gray hadn't meant to stare, but couldn't take his eyes off of the couple that was walking in front of him a couple of meters away._

_Mira, __**the**__ Mirajane, was strolling through the streets while holding hands with Freed Justine. It wasn't that the fact that it was Mira and Freed strolling the streets together, it was the fact that they were closer than most of the couples surrounding them. They had gone from handholding to Mira hugging Freed's arms to Freed holding Mira by the waist as the strolled about._

_Gray hadn't intended on following them, but he couldn't help and walked shocked as the mages acted so intimately with each other. As soon as he realized that he had followed all the way to the plaza, he turned left and made a U-turn to go home. Although it was still early, he didn't feel like torturing himself with the nauseating PDA of the couples around._

_On his way home, he passed by Lucy's house out of habit. He was thinking about entering her apartment through her window when he heard a voice behind him,_

"_Gray-sama?"_

_He turned around to see Fairy Tail's water mage blushing as she held something in her hands._

"_Juvia…"_

"_Ano," she avoided eye contact with him before putting the heart-shaped item in front of her, "Happy Valentine's Day, Gray-sama. Juvia has made these just for you."_

_He was rather surprised act the declaration, but accepted the chocolates either way, "Thank you, Juvia."_

_He was about to walk away when he felt someone pull his coat, he turned, "J-Juvia?"_

"_G-Gray-sama, what are your feelings towards Juvia?" she whispered while looking down on the ground, blushing._

"_My feelings?"_

"_H-hai, does Gray-sama feel the same way as Juvia does?" she looked up at him with expectant eyes._

_Gray's eyes widened at the realization of the bluenette's implied words, blushing at the confession he blushed. No words would form in his head that wanted to roll off his tongue, he just stared at her opened mouth before saying, "Juvia, I–"_

"_Gray? Juvia?"_

_The two mages both turned around to sound of the new voice that emitted from the steps of Lucy's apartment building, only to find the Celestial Mage in them with a cute, pink bag in her hands._

"_L-Lucy…"_

"_Ah, I'm sorry," she said looking away for a moment, "I-I didn't mean to interrupt. S-sorry, I have to go somewhere."_

_With those final words, Lucy sprinted into a run and left the two mages alone before anyone could opposed._

"_Wait, Lucy!" he made to go after her, only to realize he couldn't just leave Juvia without a reply._

"_Listen, Juvia–"_

"_It's okay, Gray-sama," said Juvia with sad eyes, "Juvia understands. Juvia already knows her answer," the bluenette smiled while holding back tears._

_Gray gave her an apologetic smiled before leaving in the direction Lucy left._

_It was hard accepting the non-spoken rejection from her beloved savior, but Juvia knew the answer all along from the beginning. He had fought for Lucy when he saved her, it was a fact she never wanted to accept, but there was no choice today. Tears streamed her face as she walked away only to find the Ice Mage from Lamia Scale, somehow she didn't feel like she was crying because she was heartbroken, but rather because she taken a burden of her shoulders. Lyon smiled at her as he silently offered her a rose, which she good graciously while smiling at the white-haired mage before her._

_Gray had searched everywhere he could think of finding Lucy. He searched the guild, the plaza, the church, every single place he could think of. It was nighttime by the time he concluded that she might have gone home. He wanted to go to her house but thought it would be awkward considering she misunderstood the situation._

_He sat down in one of the benches by the park he had wandered to._

"_Lucy…" he thought to himself when he heard a sigh from behind him. He looked behind him only to find a familiar blonde head down casted._

"_Stupid Gray," he heard her murmur. She looked to her side, not noticing said person in the bench behind her, and took out a simple box of chocolates. She frowned as she took out the tag that said: 'To: Gray,' and opened the box._

"_This has to be one of worst Valentine's ever," she said as she picked up one of the chocolates, "I worked hard on these, but I guess he'll never taste them anymore," she stared at the chocolate for a while longer, putting it high so that it shone in the moonlight before directing it to her mouth. Moments before the chocolate reached eye level, a hand grabbed her wrist pulled it behind her. She soon felt warm lips touching her fingers where the chocolate once was, she turned around, "G-Gray…"_

_Gray savored the chocolate made for him by Lucy, he tasted the sweet bitterness of the chocolate along with a fresh taste of mint in it, "It's good," he said while staring at her._

"_W-what are you doing here?!"she said as she retracted her hand from him and stood back from him, "What about Juvia? Shouldn't you be with her considering you–"_

"_You misunderstood!" he cut her off._

"_Huh?"_

"_I rejected her."_

"_You're lying," she said as she stepped back._

"_Lucy," he said as he hopped over the bench, "why would you think I'm lying?"_

"_Because she likes you and–"_

"_But I like you!" he froze in where he was and looked away quickly as a blush spread through his face._

_Lucy felt her cheeks burn as she heard his unpredicted confession, "What?"_

"_I-I said I like you," he said as he looked at her, "I-is that wrong?"_

_Lucy recovered from her stupor and shook her head, "N-no, it's just…"_

"_Just?"_

_She looked at him in the eyes and said, "I-I like you, too."_

_Gray didn't know how it happened but remembered hugging the blonde in his arms tightly before picking her up and spinning her around, hearing her joyous laugh echo in the dark before his lips claimed hers as he put her down on the ground._

* * *

He remembered every moment they shared and he would always remember how lucky he was to have met her. So as the two sat down with the rest of Team Natsu, he didn't look away, or keep his hand off her waist. Nope, because there was nothing to deny anymore, not that Gray ever denied anything, because let's face it, Gray wasn't the type of guy to deny what he felt.

* * *

**Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed**

**~Karie**


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